Beauty is the Beast-3 美女是野獸-3

Flora knocked on the wooden door of the cottage, which after having performed the action, she instantly began to regret it.

阿花敲了小木屋的門後，馬上就開始後悔了。

"Now that I am a beast, who will be able to accept me and be kind to me?" Flora pondered, "I should've just stayed in the confinements of the trees in the forest and never come out again until I die."

「現在我是一隻野獸，誰會願意接受我並對我好呢？」阿花心想，「我應該乖乖地躲在森林裏，直到我死去為止。」

At this moment, she heard footsteps coming, and a feminine voice murmuring, "Who could it be at this time?"

就在這時，她聽見了腳步聲從屋內傳來，並有個聲音說：「這麼晚了會是誰呀？」

The poor Flora suddenly felt extremely agitated, and as the footsteps approached the door, she decided to hide behind it, so she wouldn't be seen.


可憐的阿花頓時感到不安，當腳步聲慢慢接近門口後，她便決定躲到門後面。

At first, when an old lady opened the door of the cottage, she perceived no one standing outside the door. "It must have been the wind," she muttered to herself as she began to close the door.

起初，當老太太打開木屋的門時，並沒有看見任何人。「可能是風吧！」她喃喃自語地說，並緩緩地將門關上。

Suddenly, she perceived the large dress of Flora.

突然，她發現了阿花的裙子從門後露了出來。

"Who's there, hiding behind the door?" the old lady scolded sternly, "Come out now, it's not funny! I can see you!"

「是誰躲在門後？」老太太嚴厲地說。「趕快出來！不用再躲了！我都看到你了！」

"Oh great! Just what I needed!" Flora thought to herself, "I have angered the old lady before even meeting her. Now I stand no chance at all, whether in my current appearance or not, to ask her for a lodging tonight."

「太好了！」阿花心想，「我們還沒見面我就激怒了人家。我看現在不管我是不是野獸她都不會同意讓我借住一晚的。」

Flora then reluctantly stepped out from the concealment of the wooden door, half expecting to hear a scream of the old lady as she uttered a 'hello' shyly.

阿花緩緩地從門後走出來，準備好要聽到老太太的尖叫聲，並害羞地說了聲『嗨！』

Nevertheless, to her utter astonishment, the old lady neither screamed nor fainted, but stood there, with her hands on her hips, and said, "So it was you who knocked and hid behind that door, wasn't it?" To which Flora apologised sincerely.

然而，令她驚訝的是，老太太不但沒有尖叫，也沒暈倒，而是手插著腰站在門口，說：「剛剛敲門然後又躲在門後的的就是你吧？」阿花趕緊道歉。

"Never mind that, what do you want at this time of the day?" the old lady inquired.

「沒關係啦！只是這麼晚了，你在這兒幹嘛？」老太太問道。

After Flora, who had already prepared herself for a refusal, had explained the cause of her knocking on the door, to her amazement, the old lady said. "I don't mind you staying here for a night or two. However, I'm not the boss around here. I have to ask my master before I can give you a reply."

做好了心理準備可能會當場被拒絕的阿花趕緊解釋了來意。然而，更讓她吃驚的是，老太太答道：「我是不介意你在這裡住一晚啦！可是，我也不是可以作主的，我得先問問我的主人，才能給你個答覆。」

At this instant, Flora heard a sound of metal, and an ugly figure of a man wearing helmets appeared at the doorway. "What's all this noise about?" demanded the man, "Can't you see I'm trying to read?"

就在這時，阿花聽到了金屬敲擊的聲音，隨後，從屋子裏走出了一位穿著盔甲，面貌醜陋的男子。「你們在吵些什麼呀？沒看到我在閱讀嗎？」

"Your highness, this poor creature is lost in the forest and has asked for a lodging for tonight before she finds her way out of the forest tomorrow." the old lady replied, "I am wondering whether it is possible....."

「殿下，這隻可憐的猩猩在森林裏迷了路，想借住在小木屋一晚，不知道........」老太太說。

"Whatever! Suit yourself! She can stay here as long as she likes as long as she helps you with the housework, indeed, you have gone quite old these days to manage by yourself. Just don't bother me with my reading!" The haughty and ugly man replied as he strode, with the armour making a din, back into the house.

「隨便妳啦！看她愛待多久就待多久，只要她肯幫你做些家務事。這些日子你也愈來愈老了，無法一人承擔這麼多的工作量了。」既驕傲又醜的男子說畢，便大步走回屋內。

"Well, as Prince Benjamin had consented, you can stay here if you like," the old lady said to Flora, "My name is Diana, and I'll show you around the house.

「看來，班傑明王子也同意你留下了。」老太太對阿花說。「我的名字是戴安娜，我帶你參觀屋內。」

As they entered into the cottage, Flora soon found out that there was nothing Diana could really 'show' her to, as the cottage was extremely tiny, with minimal furniture, and could hardly fit two people, let alone three.

阿花進入屋內後，才發現，其實根本就沒什麼好參觀的。簡陋的小木屋裏只有少許的傢俱，能住兩個人就不錯了，更何況是三個人。

"I'm afraid you'll have to sleep on the floor for tonight," Diana said, "As we are quite short in beds."

「看來，你今晚可能得睡地上了。」戴安娜說。「我們這裡床不夠了！」

After replying that she didn't mind at all, Flora introduced herself and, after making sure the ugly man wasn't looking, inquired in a whisper, "Diana, did you say that he is a prince?"

阿花趕緊表示自己並不介意，並確認了驕傲的醜男沒有在偷聽後，便小聲地詢問道：「戴安娜，你剛剛說他是王子？」

"Yes, indeed I did. Pray, do not inquire me about his past, as I am oblivious of it." Diana responded with a whisper, "One day, he came knocking on my cottage in the forest, claiming that he is a prince, and I have decided to keep him here, as he had nowhere else to go."

「是呀！不過別問我有關他的過去，因為我也不清楚。」戴安娜答道。「有天，他就來敲我木屋的門，說他是一個王子，希望我能讓他借住一晚，因為他無處可去，於是我就同意讓他留下了。」

"Poor thing!" The benignant Flora thought to herself, "This man had not only a hideous appearance, just like myself, but he had also lost his mind somehow. It must have been a huge catastrophe which had caused this tragedy. He is less fortunate than me, so I should not complain about his haughtiness."

「好可憐啊！」好心腸的阿花心想。「這個人不僅和我一樣長得醜，還發瘋了。一定是人生受到了慘痛的打擊才會導致他開始有奇怪的幻想。他比我還不幸，所以他再怎麼無理取鬧我都應該容忍他。」

~To be Continued~

～待續～